Staphylococcal meningitis can present as an abscess of a single lateral ventricle.

Ventricular obstruction and hydrocephalus are recognized complications of neurosurgical procedures and meningitis that has been previously treated. The confinement of bacterial meningitis solely to a lateral ventricle in an otherwise healthy individual, however, is rare. I describe a case in which a ventricular abscess occurred as the presenting manifestation of staphylococcal meningitis in a man who had no history of head trauma or neurosurgery.